Expiry
by Unlike-me
Summary: Alanna's uncle finds out about the twins' switch. Determined not to let her ruin the good family name, he takes 'Alan' out of the knight program, so that no one will ever learn her secret. Though, Alanna is not one to give up. And how does Jon fit in?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

_Disclaimer:__All the characters and Tortall belongs to Tamora Pierce. I'm just a lune who plays around in her world._

Duke Gareth of Naxen looked at Lord Nicholas with a puzzled expression on his face, which was very unlike him.

"I'm not sure I follow you – you want to take Alan out of the program…?"

"Yes. Like I just told you, he was never meant to come here in the first place. Thom is the oldest and he was supposed to become a knight, not Alan. It was only due to their father's lax supervision that they were able to pull such a scam off," was the Lord's answer.

"Yes, I understand that, but don't you think it would be a waist to throw away six years of training – after all it is too late for Thom to become a knight in his stead." Lord Nicholas was about to object, but Duke Gareth continued, determined to fight for the squire; "It is less than a year to his ordeal. And I am convinced he will be a great knight. One your family can be proud of. He is already one of the best fencers at the court, and the prince's squire, as you must know."

"I am well aware of the hard work you put into training the boy, and I am sorry to have wasted your time as such. But the boys need to learn that there are consequences to such actions! I will not tolerate their games and Alan should not be granted the pleasure of being knighted considering his lies. We will be leaving this afternoon," he said with a stern look on his face.

Duke Gareth sighed, knowing that there was nothing further he could do; the man in front of him had obviously made up his mind. Internally, Gareth hoped that perhaps a royal order from Prince Jonathan could keep squire Alan in Corus.


	2. Real Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It had all been perfect – too good to be true. Of course it couldn't have lasted. She had been a fool to have thought it would.

* * *

Alanna was speechless. She stared at the impressing man standing in her room with an open mouth. She knew that her mother's brother, Lord Nicholas, had gotten custody of the twins after their father's death, but she didn't think he would ever pay them any attention. After all they had not seen him since they were only five or so. Her father had not been much for family gatherings. And it had been four and a half years since Lord Alan had died, wherein she'd heard nothing from her uncle. Yet, here he was, telling her that he had taken her out of knight training and that she was to come with him to his estate, immediately.

This couldn't be happening. Not now. She was _so _close! She couldn't leave everything behind. And there was Jonathan… she loved him, and - wait! Maybe he could help her – of course that was the answer! He was the Crown Prince after all. She went towards the adjoining door to his rooms.

"Where are you going?" His sudden questioning surprised her.

"Um, well… to fetch my knightmaster. He will have something to say about this." She shrugged as if this was nothing of importance, trying to show that she was confident he could not take her away. _If only I was that certain_,she thought.

Before she could reach the door, however, her uncle spoke again; "I don't think so. He was the one who told me about you. How else would I know, you'd be here? Clearly, he understands that a girl's place is with the family – not playing around with dangerous weapons!"

Alanna gasped; "You're lying! He'd never!"

Lord Nicholas looked at her in a way that Alanna thought patronizing, condescending, as if he thought she was naïve. That did it; she stomped to the door, reached out for the handle, only to let her hand fall to her side as Jonathan had opened it himself. Apparently, he'd heard her outburst.

He looked from Alanna to Lord Nicholas then back at Alanna again. His eyes widened, as if he knew what was going on, knew who the stranger in her room was. Suddenly, Alanna did not feel so sure of him. _This is ridiculous_, she thought, _Jon wouldn't betray me!_

"Jon, did you – I mean, you haven't… written to my uncle… about me, about where I was, right?" she stumbled over the words, sure that Jonathan would not have a clue as to what she was rambling about.

So, when Jonathan did not answer her, just looked at her with a sad expression, she could not understand it. Why didn't he say anything? She couldn't get her mind around the idea that Jonathan had ratted her out. She couldn't – refused to believe it. But then, why didn't he say anything, why didn't he deny it?

She took a step back, two steps. Away from him. Finally, she came to the conclusion that her uncle hadn't been lying to her. Still, unable to speak, she just looked at the silent prince. There was a squeezing in her stomach – or was it higher up? – a pain, nonetheless. _How could he do this to me?_

Lord Nicolas broke the silence; "Well, say your goodbyes Alanna. We will be leaving now. I'll have my servants pack your things." With that he went out of the room, leaving the door ajar.

"Alanna, I…" Jonathan started, but was cut off by Alanna, who turned on her heel and followed her uncle out the door. She didn't want to hear his excuses, she didn't owe him that. Moreover, she was afraid that she was going to start crying, and she couldn't have that. She didn't want him to see how he'd hurt her.

* * *

Inside the carriage Alanna was quiet, all the spirit in her gone. She felt exhausted.

Her uncle spoke; "Alan of Trebond does not exist anymore. You are to learn to be a lady. You will be my daughter, Katherine Alanna of Whitmore. Your mother died of the Sweating Sickness when you were four. Do you think you can remember that?"

Alanna wanted to retort that her being a woman did not make her stupid. But she had trusted Jonathan, completely, had that not been stupid? Instead she said; "Don't you think it will be a little conspicuous that 'Alan' just goes 'poof'? People will wonder what happened to me!"

"No. Alan, my daughter, and I will be boarding a ship to the Yamani Isles for my studies. I'll make sure that said ship sinks, and, sadly, Alan will not survive the trip."

Alanna turned pale. He _had _thought of everything. She was doomed. And on top of that she had to go on a ship!

**Disclaimer: **Tamora Pierce owns all, I don't.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Disclaimer:_****_Tamora Pierce owns all, I don't._

Jonathan tried to block out Raoul and Gary's complaints. He did not want to hear their anger, their ridiculous plans to 'free Alan' or their sudden outbursts of 'This is not _right_!' All he kept seeing was the image of Alanna's horrified expression – how she'd gone from confused, to uncertain, flabbergasted, and then, finally, sad. He seemed unable to remember her smile, the way she looked when she laughed, or the smug expression she bore whenever she'd manage to do something others would not have dared. He could see her 'sad face' though, down to every last detail. He was furious with Lord Nicolas; Alanna was not supposed to be told about his betrayal. Now she was out there somewhere, hating him. But Jonathan was mostly mad at himself because he knew that _he_ had caused that sad expression to appear on Alanna's face, not Lord Nicholas.

So, when Gary rounded up on him, suddenly exclaiming; "By Mithros, Jonathan you were _there_! Why didn't you do anything? You're the Prince! One royal order from you and he couldn't have taken Alan!", Jonathan was already in a bad mood. He grabbed something, not really noticing what, from the nearby table, and bashed it into the wall.

"For heavens sake, can you not leave me alone?"

Gary, Raoul, and Alex stared wide-eyed after their friend, who stormed out of the room. This was unusal behavior for the prince, who always kept a calm façade.

When news came of Alan's death, Jonathan was calm. He had expected this after all. He avoided the others, which was easy – they were often visiting George, and Jon refused to go there. He was afraid George would see right through him, and he knew there'd be no forgiveness from the thief for what he'd done to Alanna. He just hoped that Lord Nicholas would return to court with 'his daughter' in tow soon, so that Jonathan could explain to her. Make her understand. Only, the war began and the knights were all sent to the battlefield, far from court.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns all, I don't._

Alanna looked at the mirror and grimaced. It was not that the lady staring back at her wasn't pretty, she _was, _beautiful even. It was just that Alanna couldn't recognize her. After nearly two years under the care of Lord Nicholas' chamber maids, there wasn't much about her that looked like her old self.

Sure, her eyes were still violet and her hair still coppery. However, it was a shade darker than before, shining from the expensive oils combed into it every day. And it was long, of course, pinned up, in a wavy mass of corkscrew curls, a few of them falling down to frame her face. They were fashionable and, unfortunately, made by curling the hair around bands of fabric for the night, disturbing her sleep. Her skin was now white, due to the fact that she was never allowed outside without gloves and a hat or parasol. Ladies were supposed to have fair skin. Her coppery hair and red painted lips stood in stark contrast to her pearly white skin, making her look exotic.

The dress she wore was one of her best; a dramatic dark red silk top with a full red skirt, embroidered with black thread and gemstones. It shaped neatly around those curves she'd gotten ever since she'd stopped the training. Alanna hated wearing this particular dress. She had always liked pretty things and admired some of the garments the ladies in Corus wore, but she didn't like to draw attention to herself, and this dress did just that. She'd rather have worn a pale green one or a brown even. She wondered why the maids had put this dress on her today – it must be some special occasion, she mused. She didn't know because she didn't pay much attention to the court gossip or what was 'especially thrilling' about the next ball coming up, as the other girls would have.

She deliberated which excuse she'd use to get out of the horrid ball as quickly as possible, and decided on a stomachache. No man could argue with that, since it would bring on the discussion of monthlies, and she knew even her uncle tried to avoid this subject.

She had been most compliant the last year. Ever since Thom died. Ever since Thom was _killed_. Lord Nicolas had quickly discovered that yelling at her or beating her did not have the desired effect. She had continued to object to everything he asked of her, cursing, fighting the maids, and continuously trying to run away. Though, Nicolas was a powerful sorcerer and it was easy for him to keep her under magical watch. Alanna knew this, and still, she'd tried time and again to make a run for it. Only, when he threatened to hurt Thom if she tried 'such a trick' again, she had thought he was bluffing. But he had, coldly, murdered her twin. Which was so much more than what he'd threatened to do. So when he then said that Coram, Maude, and her friends in Corus where next, she'd finally given in. she was consumed by guilt of her brother's death anyway, and thus fighting was far from her mind these days.

She shook her head at the image and turned for the door.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Disclaimer: As you know, all belongs to Tamora Pierce. I'm just borrowing her characters for a little while._

Alanna slipped into the ballroom an hour later than was expected. She had questioned the chamber maids about the event of the evening and they had informed her that some foreign royalty was visiting. She knew the formalities of such a visit would take the most of an hour, and was sure that nobody would notice her absence for that part of the evening, thus deciding to appear an hour late.

She went straight for a group of young men that she knew. All her friends at the Gallan court, where she had lived the past eight months, were male. Alanna wasn't much for womanly company, seeing as their interests were so different from hers. Also, the unmarried ladies, she was supposed to spend her time with, were all so much younger than her. She was 19 now, and most ladies her age would have been married off already. Her uncle had told people she was 17, which was easy to believe when looking at her; she had always looked younger than she was. Lord Nicholas thought it an extra precaution, so that no one would figure out the resemblance between her and dead squire Alan. _He needn't have bothered_, Alanna thought, _I don't look anything like my former self anymore. No one would recognise me. I wonder if Jon would though… _she quickly shied away from the thought. She tried to avoid thinking of Jonathan.

Michael smiled, when he saw her coming. Alanna didn't smile back. She tried to keep some distance between her and her friends, making sure they knew where the line went. One of her Carthaki friends, she'd met at the Yamani islands, had thought their friendship meant something more. He'd asked her to marry him, though, luckily, he hadn't gone to her uncle first. She'd been able to clear up the 'misunderstanding' before the occurrence reached her uncle's ears, but it had ruined their friendship. She didn't want to encourage any of the men at this court too. Sure, she'd thought of marrying one of her friends, rather than waiting for Lord Nicholas to find a man _he _thought suitable for her. But she couldn't quite accept the thought of just being a nobleman's wife, living at his estate, and bearing his children. A little part of her still believed that she could escape this trap. She just had to figure out _how_.

"Ah, Katherine. You've finally decided to grace us with your presence," Damien said with a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Yeah well, _someone _had to make sure you guys weren't killed by boredom tonight, and I felt like being charitable." This started a discussion about whether Katherine (Alanna) was charitable, seeing as she never danced or flirted with any of them.

Alanna lifted her head and was just about to retort on Damien's latest remark, but froze when she found that she was starring straight into a pair of bright blue eyes, belonging to Jonathan of Conté.

* * *

Jonathan did not jump with surprise, when Gary for the fifth time that evening exclaimed; "Would you _look_ at that girl! Mithros, she's beautiful."

"I'd rather not" was the Prince's calm answer.

"No, but really, this girl is different."

With a sigh Jonathan turned around and eyed the girl that Gary was currently staring at. He had to admit that his friend was right; she _was _different. With her fair complexion and dark coppery hair, she looked sort of other-worldly. Her dress was obviously expensive, made of a dark red, rich silk embroidered with black gemstones. Matching gems were braided into her hair, so, clearly, her family spend a lot of money on presenting her.

It wasn't until she raised her gaze and turned a pair of violet orbs at him that he thought of Alanna. She didn't resemble Alanna much, and the way she held herself, moved, and walked was graceful - like any lady of the court. _Nothing like Alanna, at all_. Yet, when he saw her eyes there was not a doubt in his mind that it was her.

* * *

"Katherine? I just asked you a question."

Alanna did not realize that Michael was talking to her. She was trying to process the fact that Jonathan was there, in the same room as her.

"Don't bother, my friend" Damien said, "she can't hear you. I believe she suffers from the mental illness that befalls young ladies who have eyed the Prince of Tortall in all his glory." He made a great show of slowly rolling his eyes.

"Our Katherine? I should think not," Simon said accompanied by a snicker, however, the certainty of his words did not match his thoughts; _she still hadn't moved!_ In spite of all their teasing.

Only when Jonathan started paving his way through the crowd, towards her, did she regain the control of her body.

She barely managed an "If you'll excuse me" before she walked away from them with hurried steps.

* * *

Jonathan had waited impatiently for Alanna to return to court. He had been certain she'd be there when he came back from the war. When he came back and found that she was not in Corus, he had worried that Lord Nicholas had married her off to some nobleman at a distant fief. He had asked Myles for lists of all nobles who had been married or engaged within the last year. Thankfully, his old history teacher had obliged him, without asking any questions. No names connected to her family were on the list. He had ridden to Lord Nicholas' castle in the North to find it deserted, but for a few servants, maintaining the place. They had told him that the Lord was travelling and, at the time of his departure, had not known when he would return. They doubted it would be within the next couple of years. Jonathan had just begun to accept the fact that he might never see her again. Yet, here she was, at a distant court, he had dreaded to visit.

Jonathan cursed inwardly. Being a visiting prince, he couldn't just ignore the people he passed. He had to stop and make polite small talk, or at least polite excuses, when people approached him. When he finally walked out the same doors Alanna had, the hallway was empty.

If there'd been the tiniest doubt, whether it was Alanna, if he had just deluded himself into believing it was her, it was gone now. Other women did _not _walk in the other direction when he went towards them.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns characters, world, yada yada yada..._

Alanna stood in the hallway far enough from the ballroom that Jonathan wouldn't see her if he came out. She felt a bit like a coward. Usually, she didn't run away from the things she was scared of. But this was different. It was Jonathan.

She feared what he had to tell her, how he would explain, what he had done to her. She did not want to hear lies and excuses. It would be like rubbing salt in the wound, if he could just lie to her like that. But that wasn't why she was afraid. What she feared the most, was that he would tell her the truth.

If he had done it for the reason her uncle had said; that a woman should not be fighting, he would have told someone back when he found out, at the black city. _That _she could have understood – respected even. She had lied to them all and broken the rules. He had every right to tell on her then.

But he hadn't done that. He had kept her secret, thinking her worthy of becoming a knight.

So what other reason could there be for him to tell her uncle the truth? Alanna could only think of one. He had gotten tired of her. He didn't love her anymore, maybe he never had. It would make sense then, getting her sent away. Other ladies he tired of could easily be avoided. She couldn't. She was his squire, lived right next to him. After breaking up with her, she would have been a constant nuisance.

The thought that not only did he not love her, he had been ready to destroy everything she had dreamed of, just to be rid of her, was too much to bear. She wasn't nearly ready to hear that. Better not to know.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Lady Katherine what a great pleasure it is to see you again," a familiar voice came from behind, interrupting her thoughts.

She twirled around, wanting to have him within her view. It was far too dangerous standing with her back to this man.

"Lord Karzai", she said coolly and gave a slight nod with her head.

He looked the same as before; tall, broad, dark, and yes, admittedly, he was handsome, even with the scar running down his left cheekbone. Some women sighed when he walked by, but Alanna wasn't fooled. She knew he was one of the most powerful warlords in Galla. Those who let their soldiers roam other people's land, plundering smaller cities and gathering up more men for their forces. For centuries warlords had been fighting for the throne in Galla, and these past 20 years, the Renou family had held it in their hands. Alanna, as so many others thought the new king a weakling; he should have brought his forces into Karzai's lands long ago, before he became too powerful. At the moment, nobody at court knew how many men he now possessed, and Alanna didn't think it beyond him to try for the throne.

Unfortunately, he also had an unhealthy infatuation with the fierce tempered woman standing in front of him.

"I have missed the sight of you these past months. You have been well, I trust?"

"While you've been away you mean? Yes, I've quite enjoyed the time"

He laughed out loud, and the bitter edge to his otherwise humorous laugh did not escape Alanna's attention.

"You always have a great response, don't you?" he said. "You are a fascinating creature - it shall be great fun to subdue you." Alanna flinched. A sadistic man was one thing, a sadistic man who admitted to the fact openly, was another entirely. _Perhaps that's how he rules his people, through fear, _Alanna thought.

She snickered. "Good luck with that."

"Oh, I don't need luck, dear one. I _will _have you. It is all a matter of sheer will and power. I have both."

"Pigs might fly!"

"Yes, they just might" he said with a mild voice and a smug smile. He walked past her and ran his calloused fingers down the side of her face, as he did so. Alanna did not step back, away from him, as it would have been a sign of weakness. She did not want him to think she was afraid of him. Then she would have lost.

She just followed him with her eyes, not moving until he was out of sight.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_Disclaimer: Not mine, all Tammy._

The morning was filled with official events and meetings between the royalties and diplomats. Jonathan tried to get a view of Alanna at the breakfast, but to no avail. First late in the afternoon did he have some time for himself. Most of the Tortallan delegates had gone to take a nap – the ball the day before had stretched out and they were already tired from the travel. They wanted to recharge before the night's events.

Jonathan thought of the places where he might find Alanna. He doubted she was allowed outside on such a shiny day, considering her now pale skin tone. And he was certain that she would not be found chatting or sewing with the other young ladies. So, he asked a servant to show him the lesser libraries – Alanna had always been fond of war history after all.

In the third try, third library that is, he found her, curled up in a windowsill with a book in her hands. She was wearing a pale green silk dress, with the neck cut out in a deep V-shape. White lacing covered the triangle at her chest, and pink embroidery bordered the edge where green and white met. It brought some rosy colouring to her cheeks. He noticed how her little nose still had the same shape as it had two years ago. How her cheekbones were in the same place, and how her lips were just the same as they'd once been, now that they weren't painted a dark red.

It calmed him somewhat, that he could recognize her better today. She was still miles away from looking like the girl, he and George had walked in on, all dressed up in Mistress Cooper's kitchen a few years back. But she looked more like herself today than she'd had the evening before, still beautiful, though. Like someone that could be Alanna, all grown up.

Not long after he'd entered, she looked up, cursed and started for the door.

"Are you really going to run from me again?" he asked, quirking up one eyebrow. He felt confident in teasing her, now that she looked like _his _Alanna again.

"I am not running! I simply do not wish to be in the same room as you!"

He reached out and grabbed her arm; "If only you'll listen for a moment – I can explain…" All arrogance and teasing was now gone from his voice, replaced by a serious look on his face.

Alanna didn't let him finish; "There is nothing that could ever justify what you did Jonathan. So, I'd rather not waist my time listening to your excuses!" With that she was out the door, before he could come up with a response.

**Author's note**: Hi. I just wanted to thank the ones who took the time to review, and all the people who has added my story to their favourites or story alert – you make my day =D

I promise there will be more action and Jonathan's explanation later on. All in good time. Heh.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_Disclaimer: As always I'm just borrowing from Tamora Pierce, she owns all._

Whenever Jonathan came anywhere near Alanna, she was cold, all emotion gone from her face and her voice. He received only short replies to his questions, such as "Certainly, your Highness", "I do not know, your Highness, perhaps you should ask someone else?" or "Why don't you talk to Lady Issia about that, your Highness?" and she always made sure to disappear soon after. It was as if she did not know him and had no intentions of ever going to.

It was ever so frustrating. It came to the point where he wanted to grab her arm and drag her with him to a place where they could be alone. Hold her there and make her listen. But that wouldn't do. He was the Crown Prince and had to act accordingly. To drag an unwilling woman by the arm, in public, was not an option. He would have to wait till he could find her where she was alone. The problem was just that Alanna made well sure never to be alone!

A couple of days after their arrival, Gary made a saying look in the direction of Alanna. He, Raoul, and Jonathan stood talking in one of the gardens, and Alanna was standing with her friends at the other side of a wide fountain. "Did you know she's Nicholas of Whitmore's daughter? Which would make her Alan's cousin."

Raoul made a slow whistle; " I suppose that explains the eyes then."

Jonathan didn't say anything, which made Gary look at him, narrowing his eyes. "What?" Jonathan enquired with a perfectly calm expression.

"You already knew that, didn't you?"

Jon only shrugged in reply.

Raoul did not notice the tension between the other two; "She could tell us about Alan. She was on board the same ship, was she not? Maybe she knows something." He had a hopeful expression on his face.

"Tell us what? How she actually saw him swim away in the direction of another ship in the horizon? How he might actually be alive out there somewhere? Don't be ridiculous Raoul. If that was the case they wouldn't have declared him dead." Jonathan said coldly, and immediately regretted it as he saw Raoul's shoulders slump forward.

"I know that", he muttered, looking down.

"Raoul just wanted to know more about his death. Alan was our friend. I don't know about you, Jon, but the rest of us feel like we're missing something." Gary bid in.

Jonathan sighed, "I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I don't think she wants to talk to us. I tried, but she shuts me out."

"Maybe I can change her mind," Gary offered.

"No! For whatever reason, she clearly does not wish to talk with us. I plan to respect that and I expect you to do that as well." Jonathan looked them both in the eyes, making sure, they knew it was an order.

Gary held his gaze, "And what reason would that be?" he contested.

"How should I know? Maybe she and Alan didn't get along well or something. Maybe she doesn't like to think of what happened on the ship." He said with a shrug, as if the topic of the conversation was starting to bore him. They didn't buy it.

Raoul thought that Jon was just crossed that a beautiful woman, plainly, disliked him so. The handsome prince was not used to that. Obviously, it annoyed him to have it rubbed in his face. Gary, on the other hand, thought there was more to it. No woman would go through such great efforts to avoid a man she did not know. He thought that Jonathan must have known her from before, met her through Alan or something. The question just was; _why would he keep that a secret?_

_

* * *

_

Lord Nicholas was pleased. He had been worried what would happen, when the Tortallan delegation arrived. Luckily, both Alanna and the prince avoided each other, and no one else seemed to recognize her. He'd come to like having a daughter. What was most important to him was his magical studies. Travelling around to other courts, he could learn more about the powers of the Gift. Royal libraries held the best information. And having a daughter sort of legitimized his travels. People would assume that he was looking for a marital prospect for his daughter, rather than suspect him of all sorts of treacherous deeds. Also, noblemen seemed to greet him more friendly after finding that his daughter was beautiful. That was why he spent so much money on her appearance.

When he first took her in, it was just for the good of the family name. But, despite a troubled start, she had proofed to be valuable. Unlike her brother. When he turned 18 he would have become the lord of Trebond, and in accordance, he would have become the legal guardian of his sister. And Nicholas didn't trust the twins one bit. Who knew what audacities and scandals Thom would allow the troublesome Alanna to perform?

Adding to that, there was the problem of Thom's growing powers. He would become a Master soon. Nicholas wouldn't be able to control him magically, the way he could with Alanna, after that. Moreover, he did not like the thought of Thom becoming as good a sorcerer as him. He did not like competition.

So it had been easier on all fronts to just kill the boy right away. It wasn't like anyone would find out that he'd done it. Of course, he had told Alanna, giving her an entirely different reason for the death of her brother. It had all worked out to his advantage in the end.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_Disclaimer: As always everything belongs to Tamora Pierce._

Alanna was looking at the familiar view of Jonathan's back covered by a tunic in the colour of his favourite royal blue. He was riding in front of her together with Gary, Raoul, and their squires. It almost felt like she was home, riding in the Royal Forest with her friends. Except this wasn't the Royal Forest and the others weren't her friends anymore.

The court had decided to spend the day hunting and so all young men and ladies had saddled up and ridden out into the nearby forest. Not long into the hunt, Simon's horse had started limping and when he couldn't find the cause, he had fallen behind, riding slowly to spare the horse. Alanna had joined him. For some reason Alanna's former friends had slowed down as well and was now mere yards away from them.

* * *

When Alanna had fallen behind the hunting company, riding alone with another man, Jonathan couldn't help but wonder why. He felt the jealousy come creeping up and, determined not to leave her alone with this unknown man, he'd asked the others to fall behind with him, keeping the two within sight. Now they wouldn't have their privacy and he might even hear what they were saying.

Geoffrey made a remark of how appalled he was that _she, _the woman who ignored them all and who presumably had disliked Alan, should have gotten Alan's treasured horse. In response he received a cold stare from Jonathan, and wisely chose to shut up.

* * *

"So what _is _it with you and the Tortallan prince?". Alanna looked up, startled. They had been quiet for a while and now, all of a sudden he asked her of _that_.

"There's nothing with me and the prince!" She said, frowning.

"Yeah, I've noticed. Whenever he's around you act all weird and disappear. And he never misses a chance to be near you, even now" Simon supported this statement by raising his hand in the direction of Jonathan riding still closer to them. Alanna shifted her gaze to look up into his brown eyes, trying to read them and deciding he might give up the subject if she was stubborn enough.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she snapped and raised her chin. Apparently she'd been wrong, for he said;

"Were you two lovers or something?" Alanna completely missed the fact that he was joking and gasped. Taking a minute to compose herself, she said;

"What kind of question _is _that?"

Simon grinned and brought a hand through his sandy blonde hair. "A question like any other."

"Not one you'd ask a Lady!"

"You expect me to treat you like a Lady? Well, that's a first."

Alanna glared at him and was about to make a rude comment on his sanity when she was cut short by Gary yelling something.

* * *

They turned their horses around in order to see what the Tortallans were looking at. Coming straight at them were seven or so warriors with their weapons raised, ready for an attack. In the distance Alanna could see a small village in flames. That explained the presence of the warriors; they were robbing the village for food, men, and whatever riches those people possessed. It wasn't to say whether the warriors riding towards them had decided to leave their group because they wanted whatever money and jewellery the nobles bore or because they wanted to keep them from alarming the King's soldiers of the attack. Alanna was betting on the latter, which meant that the warriors would see them dead.

She and Simon positioned themselves closer to Jonathan and his friends, all the men forming so as to have Alanna behind them, protectively. It was annoying as hell. Though, she didn't have a weapon, so she internally agreed that standing in first line might not be wise.

Soon all that could be heard was the sound of metal hitting metal and Alanna found it difficult to make up what was happening around her. She managed to keep close to Jonathan, though. It must have been a reflex. Suddenly, a big man with an axe appeared behind Jonathan. For a terrible moment she felt her heart stop, when she realised that Jonathan had not noticed his newest attacker. He was occupied fighting off another warrior to his right.

She couldn't let him die. It was not the fact that Jonathan was the sole heir to the Tortallan throne or that she thought he would become a great king one day. It was that she couldn't let _him _die, imagine a world without him. So she jumped, crashing into Jonathan, pushing him down, away from the dangerous axe, which swung over them in chest height. But they were already on the ground, safe. The only problem was just that they kept falling! Frantically, Alanna realized that Jon had been standing on the edge of something. Sure, there had been trees to that side, though they were lower down. They must've fallen down a ledge. Luckily, but also rather painfully, they kept rolling into smaller trees and bushes, which took some of the speed. Finally, they had stopped falling, caught by a big oak tree. Alanna was sure that she'd get a huge, ugly bruise on her entire left side, where she had hit the oak.

She opened up her eyes and found that she was staring directly into Jonathan's bright blue ones. He was lying on top of her. Slowly, his hand came up and took a strand hair away from her face. Alanna held her breath. He left his hand there, on her jaw, and started stroking her chin with his thumb. Alanna cursed her racing heartbeat. She couldn't just stop loving him – even if she wanted to. She slapped him on the shoulder. "Get off of me," she snapped. Jonathan did as she said, and she hurriedly sat up.

"You saved my life," Jonathan said with a grin.

"Yeah well, bad habits die hard", she said, emphasizing 'bad'.

She turned around and started climbing up, placing her feet at the trees and roots, and using said items to hold onto with her hands. Jonathan knew better than to help her, so he just followed her example. When they reached the top, the fighting had ceased, and they saw that their group had come out as the victorious part. Their friends who had minor injures, but nothing fatal, moved toward them.

Jonathan leaned in close to Alanna. "I_ am _going to keep trying," he said quietly, so that no one else could hear, "what you just did, tells me that you're not as indifferent as you try to make me believe." That he could see through her like that, annoyed her. It was just a little more than she could take that day without her temper flaring to life.

"Yes, so I did save your stupid life. Again! And all I ask in return is that you leave me alone! That's not too much now, is it?" she all but yelled at him, forgetting her surroundings. Alanna knew she shouldn't care. Jonathan wasn't going to stay in Galla forever – it was only a matter of weeks that she had to put up with him. Then she'd never have to see him again. But that was the problem exactly. In spite of what he had done to her, she did not want to see him go, did not want to be without him. And this discovery scared her the most.

* * *

Meanwhile Gary, Raoul, Geoffrey, Douglass, and Simon all watched astonished. First the two of them acted like they did not know each other, when they clearly did, and now the girl saved the life of the handsome prince, just to turn around and yell at him to stay away from her! There was going to be some explaining to do when they got back at the palace for sure. However, Alanna was wrapped up in her own thoughts and did not notice anyone around her. She got up on Moonlight and started for the palace. Simon hurriedly got up to follow her.

Jonathan on the other hand knew what was awaiting him. His friends were not going to let this go over unexplained. He stood and watched her riding away before he too made ready to leave.

**Author's note: **So, this was a long one! But I feel it all needed to be in one chapter. Besides I have been away on holiday for two weeks – where no computers were allowed! – and thought I'd make up for it=)


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_Disclaimer: All belongs to Tamora Pierce, now let's get on with the show=)_

Once she had taken a bath and gotten herself into a clean dress, Alanna calmed down. She decided that her feelings for Jonathan weren't such a big problem. As long as he wasn't near her, it was easy to remember what he'd done to her. When he left for Corus she could set her feelings for him aside – stuff them into a neat little box and forget all about it as she'd done before. Yes, it was only when he was right there, within her vision that those treacherous thoughts overpowered her. She might still love him, but she would _not_ go to pieces when he left. She could deal with it. It wasn't like he loved her back anymore.

No, what she _did_ need to be thinking about was why those warriors had been attacking a village that close to the King's palace. That wasn't usually done – any king would strike hard on the warlord responsible for a raid on 'his' territory. _But maybe that's just it_, Alanna thought, _it could be a show of strength. A dare. Someone who is challenging the King's authority._

Lord Karzai would be just the kind of man who'd want to flex his muscles before a real battle. And this happening at the same time that Karzai had returned to the capital. The warriors could very well be his men. This could not be good – it would mean that a war was coming on. And Karzai had chosen to start it at the same time that a foreign prince from a prosperous country was visiting. Coincidental? Alanna didn't think so.

_No, _she shook her head. She was being paranoid. Not everything had to do with Jonathan.

If they were facing a civil war, she'd need to take some precautions. Being caught unaware with no weapons had been very uncomfortable to say the least. At their arrival in Galla she had, secretly, started training again, building up her muscles. She'd gotten up early in the morning when her maids and, more importantly, her uncle were still asleep. However, Alanna came to the conclusion that this would not be enough. She now decided to purchase two wrist-knives and sheaths to hold them. Of course she could only wear them while wearing long sleeved dresses, but it would work for now. She could figure something else out when the real summer heat set in.

Alanna was brought back to the present, as there was a knock on the door.

"Alanna, I know you're in there. Please open the door." Jonathan. She held still.

"If you don't open it, I will." She snickered. It wasn't like he had a key.

"Alright then, you better back away from the door." Alanna frowned; what was he up to?

Suddenly, there was a loud exploding sound and a bright blue light coming from the door. Two seconds later, Jonathan was standing in her room.

"You blew up my lock," she gasped.

"Yes", was the pert answer, delivered with a smile. She felt like hitting him.

"Out. Now!" She pointed to the door, as if it wasn't obvious what she wanted.

"Alright, I'm sorry about your lock," he said, not sounding remorseful at all. "But you could just have opened the door. We need to talk."

"_We_ don't have anything to talk about." She turned her back to him, and walked towards the window.

"Oh, cut the crap, Alanna. I don't believe you hate me. Not anymore. You literally jumped off a cliff just to save me." Alanna snorted, _There is a thin line between love and hate, Jonathan, _she thought, _it makes perfect sense for me to love you and hate you at the same time. _

After all, if anyone else had been the one to tell her uncle about her, it wouldn't have hurt quite as much. It was the fact that _Jonathan_ could do that to her that hurt the most. She said;

"You really think that little of me? I thought you knew me better. It doesn't matter how mad I am at you, how much I hate you even, I'd never just stand and watch you die if I could do something."

Jonathan mentally kicked himself. _Of course not_. _Alanna couldn't even bring herself to kill Dain, a knight she barely knew, but who had broken the codes of chivalry and tried to kill her. Of course she wasn't just gonna let her former best friend – and lover – die if she could help it. _He sighed… She just looked at him. Those violet eyes, piercing into his. It was unnerving to be at the receiving end of her anger.

_Speaking of lovers, _he thought - "Who was that man that was with you in the forest?"

Alanna picked up on the possessive tone of his. She recognized it from years back, when Jon had accused her of flirting with Gary and Raoul or when he was frustrated that she often went to see George.

"Jealous, Jonathan?" she asked, "That's rather odd behaviour coming from someone who went through so much just to be rid of me!"

"That's not what I…" Jonathan started just to interrupt himself, "To be rid of you? Is that what you think?"

Alanna didn't answer, she just turned her head away. _Don't cry, please don't start crying_, she begged of her eyes. Managing to blink back the tears that was, she sent a silent 'thank you' to the Goddess.

"I knew the war with Tyra was coming, well before it was known to the public. My father and the council decided to keep it quiet to avoid a panic. But I knew it was coming, and it didn't look good." Alanna quieted, he had gotten her attention. She didn't know why he was telling her this all of a sudden, but she wanted to hear it. Nowadays it was rare that people spoke politics with her – she was only a lady after all.

Jonathan continued, "We would be fighting in the mountains, of course. Getting supply would be hell, what with getting it through the desert first, and then up the mountains. And we couldn't know what to expect from the Bazhir; we didn't exactly count on all of them to be friendly. From the looks of it, it was going to be a bloodbath, it _was _a bloodbath, on our side that is." He paused. "I didn't want you there. I couldn't stand the thought of you, in the middle of it all. Dying. I knew you wouldn't desert your duty – no matter what I said you would have gone to fight. Telling your uncle seemed like the perfect solution. I knew you wouldn't like it, but I thought that at least you wouldn't be dead. That was what mattered."

Alanna opened her mouth then closed it again. This wasn't what she had expected.

Jonathan continued talking, walking closer to her as he did so, "I didn't think that he would take you away. Back to his own castle for a while, yes, but I thought that was it. That he'd bring you back to Corus, to _us, _afterwards."

Alanna's eyes were wide; she was still confused, trying to understand.

"Why? Why would you have me sent away for this war, when you let me go to the war against Tusaine? You couldn't have known beforehand that I never got to fight on the battlefield." (**Author's note**: I changed Tammy's story a bit – Alanna never got to fight in the Tusaine war)

"That was different. I didn't love you then. Not in the same way, at least. I just couldn't let anything happen to you. Don't you understand? Whatever pain you might endure, I would suffer too. I thought you felt the same way about me…" He looked at her with pained eyes.

Alanna bit her lip; "I did." Jonathan did not miss the past tense.

"Then you understand," he said, not making it a question.

"No, I don't." Alanna answered calmly, though there was a bitter edge to her voice when she continued. "I thought _you _understood what becoming a knight meant to me. What _I _wanted with my life."

"That wouldn't mean much if you were dead" Jonathan said, agitated.

Anger flared in Alanna's eyes. Jonathan tried once more, calmly this time; "I kept seeing you, dead. I had nightmares dreaming that you'd die on the battlefield. That I'd see it happen." His voice was soft, almost a whisper. Alanna remembered how he'd had frequent nightmares the weeks up to the time when her uncle came for her. She had thought that they had been about the ordeal.

"I was confident that they would kill you… or worse."

Alanna frowned, "Worse?"

"I heard stories about the Tyran war with Maren. What the Tyran soldiers did to the women. They didn't just stop at raping, Alanna." Alanna winced; she did not want to imagine what the soldiers had done. Then she shook her head.

"It makes no difference. It wasn't your decision to make! I wanted to be a knight, to fight for my country. I was willing to take the risk." Alanna said, her anger finally building up.

"Well, _I _wasn't willing to risk _you_." Jonathan fired back.

Alanna took a deep breath in and let it out again. Killing the Crown Prince, probably wasn't a good idea. No matter how arrogant and selfish he could be. She walked past him to the door, and opened it, holding it for him. "I've heard what you had to say. Please leave."

Jonathan sighed and walked out into the hallway. Turning back to look at her, he said;

"Alanna, this is stupid. I _know _you love me, just as I love you! Don't you think that –"

Alanna cut him off, "Did you hear about Thom?"

Jonathan was surprised at the sudden change in the subject, but at least she was still talking to him. "Yeah, I did. I'm sorry, that must have been horrible." He reached a hand out to caress her cheek.

"Lord Nicholas killed him. Thom needed to be punished for our 'great scam' and it was a good way to punish me for misbehaving, now that he was at it. Killing two birds with one stone, you know." She said it matter-of-factly, detached, but he could see the pain in her eyes.

With that she closed the door. Jonathan just stood, stunned. He had not missed what she indirectly had said; Thom was dead and Alanna considered it _his _fault. She was not going to forgive him.

* * *

At the other side, Alanna leaned against the door, thinking. Obviously, she was mad at him. How he could have sent her away because _he _couldn't deal with the situation. But that was wasn't all she was feeling. Because right there, competing with the anger, was the feeling of relief. Even though she knew she shouldn't care - that it shouldn't matter whether he loved her or not - it was still as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The pain in her chest subsided.

Now, confusion replaced the two first feelings; she didn't know what to think anymore. She didn't believe that it was Jonathan's fault, not _really_. It was partly her fault for being so stubborn, for insisting on disobeying her uncle. But mostly it was Nicholas' fault – _he _had killed Thom, with the clear intention of doing so. She did know that. However, there was a small part of her that constantly reminded her that if it hadn't been for Jonathan, Thom would still have been alive, and she would have been a knight. No matter the reason, he had still betrayed her.

**Author's note: **Now, now don't kill me. I will get to the 'explanation talks' with Gary, Raoul etc. But I just thought that it was about time Jonathan had his spotlight;) And in my defence, I _did _work some training and weapons in there like you asked, hmm? No, really, I love getting your reviews and I always take them seriously.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_Disclaimer: All belongs to TP, not me._

When Jonathan came back to his room he found Raoul and Gary waiting there for him, probably wanting an explanation. He'd forgotten about that. He sunk into a chair and put his head in his left hand, the elbow supported on the arm of the chair. He was in no mood for this right now. For some reason both men had waited for him standing up, but now they each took a chair from under the round table and brought them to sit in front of Jonathan. As if they were interrogating him, he thought.

"So. I take it you're done with denying that you knew Lady Katherine from before?" Gary was, as usual, the first to say something. "You must have done quite a job on her, making her that mad at you."

Jonathan didn't know how to get himself out of this. On the way back from the forest he had thought of a story, not a great one, but a story nevertheless, to cover for Alanna's outburst. However, right now, he had no idea what it had been. Somewhere in between the conversation with Alanna and her revealing the cause of Thom's death, he had forgotten. So, instead he began with a part of the truth, trying to only reveal the harmless parts. He said very slowly: "I did something once… something she won't forgive me…"

_Well obviously_,was the thought both Gary and Raoul had.

"Which was…?" Gary urged on.

Still not coming up with a good lie, Jonathan continued telling the truth. He looked up; "I said - did something that had her sent away from her home… It had some… unexpected consequences." He was thinking of Thom now.

Even Raoul got impatient at this vague explanation; "Okay, you've got to give us more than that. How do you know her? Through Alan or something?"

"Yeah, something like that." He could see Gary was about to protest, and, seeing a way out, he hurriedly continued, "Look, I can't tell you more than that. I promised her I never would, so I'm not going to." _Not again _he added in his head.

Both of his friends protested, saying that they had a right to know and that he shouldn't be keeping things from them. He thought they sounded like wives being left out of their husbands' lives. Quite frankly, they were annoying.

Jon was tired, and in a depressed state of mind after his discussion with Alanna, and so to be rid of them and their endless questions, he said what he otherwise wouldn't have;

"I _told_ you that I cannot say more than that! If you want to know the truth, then ask _her_!"

Gary was quick; "But you said we were to leave her alone."

"And now I've changed my mind. Go. Ask her. What do I care?"

* * *

That evening Alanna had stayed in her room, having the excuse of the attack the same afternoon. No fragile lady of the court would have been able to stand on her two feet after going through such a horrible event! Well, for once the ridiculous judgemental beliefs about women were actually an advantage for her. The gossip could reach its peak today, and she'd be in her rooms far away from people's curious glances and constant questionings.

However, the next evening her uncle insisted that she make an appearance. It had started out horribly – Karzai had found her.

"I hear you had a nice run-in with some men yesterday."

"Oh yeah, that was real fun," she said, rolling her eyes. He laughed shortly.

"Perhaps the woods has become too dangerous a place for young ladies to gat about. Of course, if you ever feel the need to get some fresh air again, I would happily oblige to accompany you." His stare was intense and she ended up looking away. He laughed at this too. She didn't particularly like having him laughing at her.

"Was that your prior aim? To make the woods a dangerous place for young ladies?" she said 'young ladies' in a mocking tone, mimicking him. "My, you do aim high."

His eyes turned cold. He certainly didn't like it when she insulted him. She smiled at this. A quick flash of an arrogant smile.

"_My _prior aim? Certainly, you do not think that those men were _my_ soldiers?" He was good at keeping his façade, even while angry.

_Who _doesn't_ think they were your soldiers, _Alanna thought.

"Certainly you are not trying to deny it?" She arched up one eyebrow. He didn't say anything, but he was now smiling, self-satisfied. Alanna realized that he indeed was not trying to deny it – he was trying to frighten her. She continued on, determined to show him that he did not scare her. "I am not stupid. No one else would dare attack a village that close to the King's castle. And then it happened right after you showed up at court again. Not exactly convincing arguments for your innocence."

"You're wrong I'm afraid. Only a person who _was _stupid would reveal the fact that she knew who was behind such an attack to the person in question. Don't you realize what dangers could come of it?" Now he was trying to scare her for sure. He even gave her that icy stare of his. She'd show him that she cared nothing for his threats.

"Oh please! Everybody knows who was behind the attack! Even the King knows - he's just too much of a coward to do anything about it. Unless he gets pure evidence, he's just going to wait around for your army to knock on his door!"

"Exactly," he pronounced every syllable in the word slowly. "And when I do, it will be no problem at all to beat that scared little rabbit they call King. The castle and all that is inside of it will belong to _me_!" Alanna realized that _she _was one of the things in the castle that he was referring to. Suddenly, she felt a strong urge to put as much distance between them as possible. She lifted her chin, turned around on her heel and walked away with as long strides as her short legs could manage. It was rude, but she didn't mind being rude to _him_.

* * *

She'd found a spot to hide, a small niche at the far end of the dance floor. Those who came near that end were all dancing couples and they did not pay much attention to their surroundings. They were all laughing or conversing in between the clapping and twirling around. Alanna was fiddling with her bracelet, her hands running over the small clasp again and again, thinking how she'd like to be able to take it off. It probably wouldn't happen until her uncle's death, she thought – and could she even get it off then? She wasn't sure. She sighed, and in the same breath thinking that she'd been doing that way too much lately.

"Something heavy on your mind?" Alanna looked up, startled. She'd been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the men walking towards her. Standing in front of her were no others than Raoul and Gary. She realized that she hadn't stood face to face with them since she'd left Corus. That was probably Jonathan's doing. She didn't exactly know how to act in front of them; the men she knew so well and yet had never met. Awkward was the word to describe the situation.

As she didn't answer, Gary started speaking again - he hadn't really expected an answer to his question.

"That was an interesting event that happened yesterday."

"So, it was," Alanna agreed. After hesitating, she added; "Warlords rarely attack villages that close to the King's castle."

"Actually, I was referring to the part about you saving Jon and then yelling at him afterwards. We were wondering if you would mind explaining that?"

Alanna swallowed. Then she frowned, looking confused. " Why are you asking _me_ that? Why not Jonathan?"

"Jon doesn't want to tell us anything. He told us to ask you." Raoul said, wearing an expression that told her that he was just as confused as she was.

_Great_, Alanna thought, _Jon hasn't even bothered making up a good lie to cover up for the incident in the woods. He's just sent the problem on for _me _to deal with!_

"Oh, won't he? That's strange – usually he enjoys being a telltale! I wonder what's changed." Alanna, now angry, forgot the awkwardness of the situation, and instead of being cautious just said what she thought.

Gary spoke slowly weighing each word on his tongue before he said it; "Yeah, Jon mentioned something about having done something that had you sent away…" He left the sentence hanging there, waiting for her to respond to something that hadn't been formulated as a question.

_Have me sent away? Well, that is a nice way of putting it! Why don't you try with 'ruined my life and took me away from everything I cared for'? _Alanna thought fumingly. But it wasn't Gary she was mad at – it was Jonathan. So, she only 'Hmmph'ed' and looked down at the floor. She was actually standing on a really nice carpet. She hadn't noticed it before.

There was a small pause before Raoul finally said, "Look, we know that Jon isn't exactly your favourite person, that he did something to hurt you, but… we're really worried about him." Alanna looked up at this.

Gary continued where Raoul had left off. "He's been acting weird ever since Lord Nicholas took Alan away. He doesn't really talk with us. We don't know what he's thinking about. He won't even go see George anymore." Gary stopped here, realizing that the lady in front of him probably didn't know the King of Thieves and who he was to them. "We don't have any idea what's going on, and you're the only one who might know something."

Alanna felt guilty then. Not because of Jonathan, he'd made his own mess. But Gary and Raoul. Not only was she lying to them now, she had always lied to them. She'd been in their close circle of friends and pretended to be someone she was not. Then they'd had to bear with the (fake) death of their friend and now with worrying for their prince. They deserved to hear the truth, she owed them that. Moreover, they shouldn't have to worry about Jonathan's odd behaviour.

Now that she had decided to tell them, there was only the question of _how _she was going to do it. Her throat seemed too tight and she was sure that whatever that would come out of her mouth wouldn't be cohesive. Where to start?

"Alright, I… right. You better sit down." Alanna breathed out, relieved. Apparently, her tongue did work after all. What she'd said was perfectly understandable, if you looked past the fact that there were no chairs or couches to sit on, of course.

Raoul and Gary understood that this was it; she was going to explain. They both focused their eyes on the small woman, and it was impossible not to think of Alan for a second, when their eyes met her violet ones. Gary looked away then and found Lord Nicholas walking briskly in their direction. In fact he was so fast that he had come up next to them and taking a hold of her upper arm, before Alanna could utter another word.

"There you are Katherine. I've been worried about you." He turned, his stern eyes now concentrated on those of the two knights, trying to attain the look of a worried and loving father. He achieved the first part, but not the latter. "She had quite a shock yesterday, I'm sure you understand." He shifted his gaze back to Alanna. "I don't think you should stay up this late, you must not exhaust yourself."

"I'm quite fine," Alanna objected, knowing it would be to no avail. He had come to take her away from the Tortallans, not to take care of her.

"So brave," he said with a condescending smile that to others would seem like pride of his little daughter, but she knew him too well. To him, it was an ironic remark; of course a woman could not be brave. "I'm sure the gentlemen will excuse us," he said, while dragging her away.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Later that evening, Alanna snuck out, going for the stables. She'd been restless all day and being sent to bed early hadn't exactly helped that problem. Her mind kept going round in circles, brooding over the same questions again and again. There was a part of her that kept thinking that she should forgive Jonathan, that she _could_, if she wanted to. She did love him, and she'd missed him for all the time she'd been away from him, even though she'd told herself otherwise. He hadn't just been her lover, moreover, he'd been her best friend and life without him was somewhat… empty. And now he was here, telling her he still loved her, and giving her the reason for his betrayal. Even though it was a reason she did not agree with, he had had good intentions, at least from his point of view. Some part of her _wanted _to forgive him; to go home with the others and leave all this behind.

Of course, all this thinking was pointless; she couldn't go home, nothing would be the same – she wasn't Alan, the Prince's Squire anymore. More importantly, she was Katherine; another fictive person who had no place in Corus and whom her uncle would never let go of. All in all, the treacherous thoughts would lead her nowhere. Nevertheless, she couldn't but think of it, so to be rid of her thoughts she'd decided to go riding in the dark.

Of course, nothing this night was going as planned. Somehow, fate had put her and her uncle in the stables at the same time, and they were currently arguing over whether or not she could go out riding. She knew beforehand it was a lost cause, but she was restless, she _needed _to get out, and so she was not giving up without a fight. She dismissed his arguments that it was dangerous for her going out into the night alone with a wave of her hand. When he insisted, she told him that if he ever gave her the chance, she'd show him that she could beat him at any form of fighting, less battles of magic. Thus, she was perfectly capable of protecting herself! Though, he did have a point that one shouldn't be riding out in such a magnificent dress – it was made for balls, not horsebacks. It would catch on to the branches of whatever trees she rode by. But at this point she didn't care.

He had taken her wrist and was, for the second time that night, dragging her with him. They were near the exit of the building when Alanna suddenly kicked him on his left shinbone while she writhed her wrist around, out of his grip. He released her, and gripped for his sore leg, making a pained noise. She ran for her horse, determined to get her evening ride, no matter the consequences in the morning. It was at that exact moment that a giant stone came crashing through the roof, pinning Lord Nicholas to the floor. Alanna stood a moment, opened her mouth, closed it again. her eyes blinked once. It was sheer luck she hadn't been hit. Then she ran for his side, and searched for his pulse. Dead.

_I'm free! _She thought, which was a horrible thing to think when a man had just died, but that was what she did. Besides the man had killed her brother and in some ways imprisoned her. One could hardly expect her to flood the ground with tears. Nonetheless, she did have that tingling feeling in her fingers – she ached to look him over with her gift, to see if she could heal him. Her right hand again fell involuntarily to land on that cursed bracelet. She couldn't perform any magic with it on – it bound her Gift, held it inside her. Not really allowing herself to hope, she grabbed the clasp and tried to unhook it. She swore as she discovered that it was just as inoperable as it had been when her uncle had been alive. Well, that was to be expected.

Then she thought of why a giant stone would fall through the roof of a seemingly harmless stable, and it dawned on her; the stone was as those armies bombarded their enemies with by the use of a catapult. Someone was attacking the palace! It didn't take her long to come with a guess as to who that might be.

Karzai had been smart, attacking at the beginning of night, when most were in bed, and only a limited amount of guards up and about. Also, he'd managed to sneak his warriors through the city gate, allowing them to attack the palace without having to fight their way through the city first. At least that was how Alanna thought they'd done it. Otherwise, how could they reach the palace without the warning sounds of fighting throughout the city?

She ran for the quartes given the Tortallan delegation – they must be warned! Having the sole heir to the throne of Tortall was equal to power. Whether Karzai had planned for this or not, he would not let such an opportunity go by willingly, Alanna knew. Some people in that part of the castle had awoken by the noise of the bombardment, and were running in the other direction, fleeing the palace. The nobles would probably go to their fiefs and wait it out till they knew what was going to happen and who was going to rule. Warriors tended to be violent when they were fighting, not caring whether who were soldiers and who where civilians. Women in particular did not wish to be at their mercy.

Alanna ran straight for the throne room, as going through there would be the fastest way to her Tortallan friends. Why did they have to be placed in the other end of the castle?

**Author's note: **sorry for the long wait, I have been busy. But I promise to finish the story. At some point. Really, promise!


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

_Disclaimer: Ms. Pierce owns (almost) all =D_

In Jonathan's chambers the young knights were in a hurry, rushing to get all the necessities for a long ride found and packed. It might only have been one side of the castle that was being bombarded, but four dozens of warriors had climbed over the walls in their side of the castle, having little opposition since most of the king's soldiers had hurried to the other side, where the commotion supposedly was. The short-lived battles had been loud enough to wake up the Tortallan delegation. They were planning to ride west and meet up with Duke Gareth who was on his way to seal the trade agreements prepared by the delegation. He and his army shouldn't be more than a day's ride away. Gary and Jonathan were discussing how to get to their horses and which gates to escape from.

"Alanna" Jonathan said to himself, when he realized that she'd be in the castle somewhere, in danger. "What?" Gary asked, looking up from the plans of the building.

Jonathan shook his head to clear it. "I mean Katherine – the Lady Katherine. We have to go and get her!"

"Are you insane? We can't do that _now_!" Gary exclaimed in disbelief that his cousin could be so irresponsible.

"We have to!"

"Her quarters are at the other end of the castle –we'd most likely run in to some nasty-looking warriors on the way." When his cousin just looked at him with that stubborn look on his face that clearly stated he was a prince and used to getting his way, Gary cried out in disbelief; "Jonathan you're the _prince_! The only heir! Do I _really_ have to remind you of that? To some people your life is pre-e-tty important, so I say we get you out of here as quick as possible!"

Slowly, emphasizing each word, Jonathan said: "I. Will. Not. Leave. Without. Her!"

"I know you care for Katherine and that you owe her or something, but considering what's at stake here, we can't just drop everything in a quest to save some damsel in distress. Katherine is not as important as…"

This time, Gary was interrupted by Jonathan who nearly yelled; "She's not Katherine!"

The room immediately became quiet as the four other men in the room all stopped whatever they were doing and looked at Jonathan.

Jon paused and when the other men still only looked at him, blinking their eyes once or twice, he continued in a more calm tone; "Her name's Alanna. She's Alan." Seeing complete confusion on his friends' faces, he sighed, frustrated. "Dammit! Don't you understand? We cannot leave her behind cause she's Alan!" In his frustration, Jonathan did not realize that to others, his words didn't make much sense.

"Alan was a boy," Raoul logically pointed out, then added "and he's dead."

It was the first time Raoul had said aloud that Alan had passed on, as if he had not, could not, acknowledge it before. _Of course, _now_ he accepts it_, Jonathan thought, _typical!_

He sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that evening. "Alan's not real, so he couldn't be dead. He's just as much a lie as 'Lady Katherine' is. Alanna pretended to be a boy - to be Alan - so she could become a knight." He waited, letting it sink in. Though it only lasted seconds, it felt like hours. He could see in their eyes how they finally began to understand.

"But – Alan didn't have breasts! Kath – Ah … Alanna does," were Gary's first words. Geoffrey and Douglass gasped, seeming more surprised that Gary would actually say aloud what they'd all been thinking, rather than over the fact that Alan was in fact a girl – and alive. Raoul just stood perfectly still, his thoughts probably running wild in his head.

Jonathan frowned at this outburst. Not exactly what he would like his cousin to be thinking of. Besides this was no time for such idiotic details!

"She tied them in with a corset. Now can we _please _go and find her? I don't like the way that warlord always watches her. I'd rather not wait to find out what he would do to her, if he got his hands on her."

* * *

In the throne room Alanna came just in time to see the king and his closest advisers killed. She was surprised – she hadn't thought they would be inside so fast, but of course, Karzai and some of his men would just have stayed in the castle. He'd never set out to lead the attack. The king obviously had not thought so far either, as he in that case would have been faster to find a safe place to hide out. Karzai had been the one to finish off the king. Upon seeing Alanna running in to the room, he turned and moved toward her. She was caught – it was no use running now. Instead, she fixed her gaze on the man who'd scared her from the day she arrived at this court. He had blood all over his upper body, _other men's blood, couldn't just have come from one_, she thought. She was strangely calm, but then again she was used to seeing people smeared in blood. The object of her thoughts made a flick of his hand and two of his men went for her.

_Of course, you can't expect him to go and fetch what he wants himself, too degrading for a newly made 'king', _she thought.

She fought off the first man easily – clearly he'd never been through knight training. Expecting her to be harmless, he tried to grab her arm, drawing no weapons.

_Stupid._

She hit him in the stomach and smashed her knee up in his face when he doubled over from the first strike. Karzai laughed. As the other soldier went for his sword, Alanna moved quickly, taking out both knives, first cutting the hand that was currently searching for the dangerous weapon. Then, a quick slit through his throat and he was lying dead on the floor.

Karzai's laughter stopped abruptly. She'd killed one of his men.

This time, the two men standing closest to her were on her at the same time, and it was all she could do to keep her arms free. She slashed out to all sides, not really aiming, just damaging wherever she could, losing one knife in the process. Coming from behind her, Karzai took hold of her arm holding the remaining knife, and twisted it. She gasped and dropped the last knife. He had a death grip on her, and she was sure she'd just heard something in her arm snap. She hoped it wasn't a bone that had broken, but quickly tried to ignore the fact – she had to stay focused. Apparently, Karzai had had enough of holding on to her because he made a quick movement with the bend of his arm, effectively shoving her down to the floor. Alanna winced – unfortunately she'd reflexively used both hands to steady herself in the fall, and pain shot all the way up her now damaged arm.

Half sitting, half lying next to the man she'd killed just minutes ago, she looked up at Karzai, and he suddenly seemed a lot more frightening than he had, when she'd walked in on him, killing the king. Either it was because of the look on his face, indicating he was both angry as hell and at the same time enjoying himself, which in itself was downright scary, or it was because she was now on the ground, and he suddenly seemed a lot bigger. It probably wasn't the last, considering the fact that almost everyone towered over her. She was used to it.

"What am I to do with you?" he mused. "Seems I cannot leave you under the care of my 'fragile' soldiers while I take over the city, hmm?"

"Perhaps you should just take her here and now, Karzai. That table looks comfortable enough" was the advise of his friend. He sent Alanna a nasty grin, "that ought to be enough to subdue her."

Karzai scratched his left cheek, leaving bloody lines on the skin as he did so. "Perhaps you're right". It sounded so casually, as if they weren't talking about raping her, right there. In public.

Alanna sat up and started moving backwards, stumbling away from him, still sitting on the floor. He moved closer, seemingly enjoying the game, while she finally got herself back on her feet.

While she stepped back she was searching her surroundings for something, _anything _that she could fight with. If just she could come near a soldier, someone not as strong as Karzai, so that she could take his sword and use it against the sadistic warlord. But as she stepped back she stepped right in to the arms of a burly soldier behind her. He grabbed both her arms, and she yelped because of the pain this inflicted on her injured arm.

_Well, _she thought _at least it doesn't feel like it's broken._

Karzai now stood only a hairsbreadth away from her, smiling wickedly. Not wanting him to have an easy victory, or maybe just out of spite, she spat him in the face. He roared and battered his clutched hand into her cheek, his ring cutting a deep scratch right above the cheekbone. He'd put enough strength behind his attack that Alanna found herself lying on the floor as a result.

"Step away from her!"

* * *

At that moment, Jonathan, Gary and Raoul strode in to the throne room, followed by their former squires and a handful other young men from their party.

The first thing Jonathan had noticed was Alanna, lying motionless on the floor – her bright coloured silk gown lightened up on the dark floor and was quite the eye-catcher. _Am I too late? _he thought, then braced himself; now wasn't the time to go running to her, not under these circumstances. Running defenceless into the midst of those warriors would get him killed. He held his breath, trying to think of how to proceed, till she slowly got up on one elbow, looking at him with those wide, unusual eyes of hers. Some misplaced strands of hair were falling into her face, though they weren't enough to conceal the read marks and blood streaming down her cheek. The dress, her uncle had been so worried she'd ruin, was a simply cut silk gown, with long tight sleeves, and the neckline, one of those that went in a straight line over the top of her chest, leaving her shoulders bare. The colour was a mix between a cream and bronze, and the somewhat nude shade of it combined with the straight cut, made it difficult to see where the bare skin ended and the dress began. He thought it made her look fragile, vulnerable even. Though he of all people knew very well that she wasn't. Not in the normal sense anyway. He felt all the protectiveness rise up inside of him and fought the urge to run his sword straight into the man who'd put her on the floor. Always good at keeping a level head, he stood his ground, and indicated for the others to draw their weapons. He was _not _leaving without her.

**Author's note: **Phew, that was a lot of text! But I felt like the scene needed it. Next chap will be interesting... well, for me to write anyway. Thanks to all my steady readers=)


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The warriors all turned to look at the little gathering of Tortallan knights, who'd just entered the room. Their gazes flicked back to their leader, searching for instructions. Karzai laughed and it was the sound of a mad man, or so Alanna thought. A fight was probably the only way they were going to get out of this, and she could see in Jonathan's eyes that he'd realized as much too.

Jon had been about to search for eye contact with Alanna, who'd already focused in on his eyes to read him. He shifted his eyes up, behind her and back again. She gave a small nod; she knew what he meant. Someone was moving towards her. She'd be ready this time. She sat up and then swiftly kicked out her leg, turning in a half circle, until her foot made contact with her attacker's shinbone, causing him to fall forward. Getting up, she steadied herself, making ready for another attack.

"Alanna, catch" – Jon threw his sword so that it slid over the floor in her direction. She caught it at the hilt with both hands, and felt pain running all the way up her injured arm. She shifted the sword to her left hand and placed herself in a fighting position. _A good thing I've kept my arm muscles in shape, _she thought, _swords are damn heavy!_

She started fighting her way towards her friends, trying to reduce the distance – and soldiers - between them. She was aware that they had started fighting too. A man to her left fell from an arrow shot through his throat. Jonathan was fighting Karzai, looking very, well, _angry_. That was quite unusual for the prince, who was as good as Alanna at keeping his head in a fight. She briefly wondered what had upset him so and from where he'd gotten another sword. Holding his sword in her hand she realised that she ought to focus on the men that _she _had to fight off instead of what the others were doing. So, turning she went to fight off yet another attacker. She found that all the patterns of sword fighting came easily to her, nothing was forgotten. She wasn't as strong or in as good a shape as she'd been two years before, but her body still fought on reflex without her needing to think about it.

Soon she found herself standing next to Jonathan, the other Tortallans just behind them. The two opposing groups were now clearly distinguished from each other, as they were standing in two groups, fronts facing the other. The Tortallans were outnumbered by five men or so. Jonathan brought a ball of fire into his hand, which shone in the clear blue colour of his gift. It wasn't an attack as much as it was a warning, showing that even though they were less in numbers, the fight would still be even. But Jonathan as well as Alanna knew that it was only a question of time before more of Karzai's men would come and join the 'party'. They needed to get out before that and a fair fight would take too long.

"You might want to let it end here." Jonathan said calmly. Karzai gave him a cold stare. "We're taking _Katherine _here with us, if you don't mind." He took Alanna by the wrist with his left hand and steered her around.

"I _do _mind actually. This castle, and this country now belong to _me._ Including that girl. I will not have some bratty little prince take away what belongs to me!" Jonathan and Alanna had both turned back around when Karzai had started talking, so as to face him.

"Very well," Jonathan said, and drew another fireball, this time aiming it at the warlord in front of him, ready to attack for real.

Suddenly, Alanna got an idea. She wasn't sure if it was a good one – if it was going to work at all – but she didn't have time to think it through, and thus she decided to rely on her instincts. Quickly, she brought her left hand right into Jonathan's ball of fire, hoping that her hand wouldn't burst into flames.

It didn't.

There was an exploding sound and a big blinding light, as her bracelet shattered into a million little pieces. Just as she'd thought, the bracelet that was built by magic had to be broken by magic.

As everyone blinked their eyes, waiting for their sight to return to them, Alanna felt a pull within her body. The Gift that had been inside of her, unused for two years, struggled to come out. It couldn't though, as long as she didn't try to use it. Yet, it had grown stronger in those two years, and it kept pulling, pushing in every part of her body, driven by all the pent-up energy. Alanna hadn't practised it for all that time, bound as it had been, and the strength of her Gift now made it almost impossible for her to wield. It wasn't like wielding a sword that would follow her directions. In this instance her gift was untamed, wild and yet she had to let it out. She focused all her anger on Karzai and his warriors, thought of the many deaths they had caused and what they'd nearly done to her – and then she let go.

Her gift rushed out of her. Like a whirlwind it fired through the room, straight towards the Gallan warriors. It racked hammock in its way, shattering glass and slamming doors open and closed. Those who were not quick enough to throw themselves on the ground, were taken up by the wind, flew through the air until they rammed into something; walls, tables or even chandeliers. The Tortallan soldiers were not in line of the attack, but their hair whisked around them as well as their loose tunics and Alanna's skirts, which were uncontrollable in the wind. After what seemed like hours, but lasted mere minutes, the wind resided, and went back inside Alanna's body, now to lie nestled within her quietly.

Those who had gotten safely to the floor by their own effort, amongst them Karzai, were still conscious, and they looked tentatively up. They fixed their stares at Alanna, who disliked being the centre of attention. Jonathan came to her rescue, he knew her well enough.

"I see you haven't been acquainted with the Lady's bad temper before. Perhaps now you have changed your mind about keeping her close to you?" Jon asked with a smirk. He was quick to recover from the shock of the event. Then again, it hadn't been him the wind had been aimed at. When he received no answer, he thought it time to leave.

"We'll be leaving then. It might not be in your best interest to follow us."

He drew Alanna with him, behind the lines of the others, who flanked them, as they walked out of the throne room.

* * *

Once they were out and around the first corner, Jonathan brought Alanna in for a fierce hug, kissing the top of her head. He was relieved, Alanna could tell. She leaned in to his embrace and pressed the side of her face into his warm chest. She hadn't been this close to another person since she'd left Corus. Hadn't been comforted for all the horrors she'd been through. Hadn't been held after she'd gotten the news of her brother's death. It was due time.

She felt it as all feelings but one dissipated. _Safe! _She was content standing like this and it was all too soon that Jonathan moved her out of his arms. However, he didn't move away from her. Instead he put his hand underneath her chin and tilted her head up to look her in the eyes. He must have been contemplating whether it was now safe to kiss her, and for that one moment Alanna didn't care that she was supposed to hate him. Grudges be damned! She'd just go back to hating him again later, when she wasn't feeling this shaky, she decided. Or that was the theory anyway. She leaned up on her toes, lifted her face to his, and kissed him. And with that she forgot everything around her, what had just happened, where they were, and what the future would bring. For that moment, all there was in the world was Jonathan. His lips on hers, his taste, smell, and the feel of his warm body pressed against hers.

When they broke apart Jonathan put his arm over her shoulders. He was the first in the group to gain reason as he was the first to state what they obviously needed to do;

"Let's get out of here."

The others mutely followed. They'd had more than their share of surprises for one day.

**Athor's note:** Okay, so I just had a major breakdown today, and poor Alanna got to pay the price: a breakdown all of her own, a nice tumble of emotions. Hope she doesn't hate me too much for this….


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

_Disclaimer: Whole idea of Tortall and its awesome inhabitants? So not mine. _

They rode hard and fast, not talking, getting as far away as possible in the dark of the night. Riding next to Jonathan, Alanna could feel the weight of her friends' gazes, boring into her back. There had been no time to talk in the hurry to get away. She wondered what they were thinking. How angry were they? Would they forgive her? And what did they think about her and Jonathan kissing? Did they know they'd been lovers? Alanna blushed at the thought.

An hour before dawn they found a good spot to rest, deciding to sleep for a couple of hours before riding on. There was hardly anyone after them, however, it was always wiser to have a person standing guard, on the look out for anyone posing a threat. Seeing as she wasn't likely to fall asleep anyway, Alanna volunteered for the task, causing a soldier to bark up that he didn't need any woman looking out for him. She fixed him a cold stare, which was, unfortunately, totally useless as her facial expressions were undetectable in the dark of the night. Geoffrey tried reasoning with the soldiers who were now mumbling about the ridiculousness of the idea of a woman standing guard.

"There'll be three shifts, which mean six people can sleep undisturbed. I don't see why Ka – Alanna can't be one of them." He pragmatically suggested. There were mumblings of agreement, and Jonathan sighed, seeing where this was heading. Sure enough, Alanna now _insisted _on taking the first shift. The knights had known 'Alan' well enough and had no problem trusting her on standing guard. The soldiers, however, could not understand why it should be necessary to allow a _lady_ to do so, when there were perfectly capable men available to do the job.

In the end Jonathan settled the question by assigning Alanna the first guard duty. He said that if anyone wanted to discuss this further, they were very welcome to do so. Though, he for one wasn't going to spend what little time they had on arguing with the most stubborn person alive. He was going to sleep. No one said anything after that. Within mere minutes they were all on the ground fast asleep, except for Alanna, who'd found a conveniently large stone to sit on.

Only a few minutes had passed by before Gary came to sit down next to her. "I thought you might like some company lest you should fall asleep." He offered as explanation.

Alanna glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Would I do that?"

"Usually no. But you've lost a lot of blood." Seeing as Gary hadn't been one to argue against her at the discussion before, she didn't take offense.

"Not a lot" she answered back.

They were both quiet for a moment until Gary spoke again.

"So. You're not dead."

"Nope." Alanna fixed her sight straight ahead, pretending to keep a watch on the road, though in truth she was just avoiding meeting his eyes. If only she knew what he was thinking.

"Jon explained why you pretended to be Alan, though, there is one thing I don't understand. Why 'Katherine'? Why couldn't you just be Alanna?" Gary settled his gaze on the small woman beside him, trying to read her expression.

Alanna, knowing Gary was trying to obtain eye contact, was still staring at the empty road before her. "It wasn't my decision. My uncle he – he didn't want me to cause a scandal, so he told everyone that I was his daughter. Made me carry on the lie."

Gary nodded to himself, he'd figured as much, but had wanted it confirmed.

Not seeing him nod and nervous that he wasn't saying anything Alanna just continued; "I'm a girl now. We don't get to make our own decisions." Had that come out bitterly? No, she was too exhausted to make any tone coming out of her mouth sound anything other than tired or just matter-of-factly. _Good, _she thought. After all; she wasn't mad at him_. _He hadn't made the rules.

She paused, sighed, then continued. "I would have loved to stop pretending. To stop watching every word I said, to just be… _me_." She snuck a quick glance at her friend; he didn't look angry.

"Why didn't you tell us? Before all this, when we were home, why didn't you tell us you were a girl?" He sounded calm, not accusative, and she was grateful for that.

"It was safer that way; the less people who knew, the smaller was the chance that anyone was gonna slip up. It is a lot to ask of your friends, to keep such a big secret." She did not add the fact that she'd also been afraid they would be mad at her for lying and maybe go tell Duke Gareth about it – sometimes the less you knew, the better.

"But Jonathan didn't keep it, did he? You were mad at him because he told Lord Nicholas about you." His tone was gentle, compensating for the harsh truth.

"Yes", trying to find her voice the word came out simply as a whisper. Why did that still hurt so? She knew why he had done it. Yet hearing it spoken out loud and admitting to it was still painful. Having the person you trust most betray you like that? Well, that wasn't something she'd like to experience ever again.

"Why did he do that?" Gary added softly.

Swallowing a lump she finally found her voice and even managed to sound like her normal self when she answered. "You're going to have to ask _him_ that. I don't think I could explain it right." She blushed. He might have seen them kiss, but it wasn't the same as admitting that they'd shared something more. That Jon loved her, and apparently would go to ridiculous extremes to keep her safe.

"So… what happens now?"

Alanna didn't know whether he meant between her and Jon or where she was going to go and who she'd be. "I'm not sure." That was true for both things. Though, if he kept asking questions like that, she'd soon run out of answers. She stood up brushing dust off the back of her dress with her hands. "I'd better go take a round, scouting."

Before she could leave, Gary stood up too, and pulled her in for a near bone-crushing hug. "I'm glad you're not dead," he said, before letting go of her. This had her smiling. It sounded like she was forgiven, and thus had regained a friend. She didn't really know what she'd done to deserve as much, but she was just glad that it was so.

* * *

Back in the saddle, this time riding at a slower pace, people were talking quietly. They were confident that nobody had bothered following them this far – after all Karzai and his followers would be rather occupied by controlling the country they'd just taken over. Runaway Tortallans wasn't their biggest concern, or it shouldn't be.

Alanna was content, considering the talk she'd had with Gary the night before, and, this morning Raoul too had hugged her, apparently not needing any explanation for her many lies. When she'd looked at him with a bewildered expression on her face, he had just said that it was good to have her back and that they'd all missed her. Gary had probably filled him in on the missing details. Before she could say anything, Jon called out for everyone to get back in the saddle. Geoffrey had patted her back when she'd walked by and Douglass had sent her a timid smile from his seat on his horse. All in all, it was not a bad way to start a new day.

Though Alanna and her friends had been quiet most of the morning. Jonathan was the first to break the silence; "How did you do that in the throne room – the whirlwind? I've never seen anything like it…" he trailed off, sounding slightly wistful and excited at the same time. The prince was eyeing opportunities, already thinking of ways to exploit this new knowledge.

Recognizing the eager look on his face, Alanna was quick to put and end to this train of thought. "Don't go and get your hopes up. You won't ever be able to pull that off – unless you're willing to go two years without using your gift that is."

Jon gave her a questioning glance.

She shrugged. "Nicholas bound my gift. What happened in there – the wind - it was pure pent up energy. Nothing I could control. All I did was to let it out."

"Hmm. Too bad. It was a nice trick." She snickered. He'd probably already been contemplating how you could use that 'trick' in war.

Before he could open his mouth to ask, she snapped; "No, I'm not willing to experiment with it later. I am quite certain it is nothing I could replicate and quite honestly, I don't want to ever see it again." Behind them Raoul choked a laugh – it had been a while since anyone had scorned the prince for something he hadn't even said yet. Jonathan rewarded him with a not-so-friendly look. This of course had Gary start laughing too. It was nice to see things getting back to normal again. Well, as normal as things had ever been in their little group.

**Author's note:** Alright, I know it has been a while, but I promised I would finish this story, and I will. So, yeah, I'll be back with more... When I figure out what exactly is to happen. Thanks to all who are reading and especially those of you who are reviewing=D


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